It is possible that the AY.4.2 variant will spread widely, RIA quoted the state consumer watchdog's senior researcher Kamil Khafizov as saying.
ussia has reported some COVID-19 infections with a new coronavirus variant believed to be even more contagious than the Delta one, the RIA news agency said on Thursday.
It is possible that the AY.4.2 variant will spread widely, RIA quoted the state consumer watchdog's senior researcher Kamil Khafizov as saying.
That could cause the rate of new COVID-19 cases, already at record highs in Russia, to rise even further, Reuters reported.
The new variant could even replace Delta eventually, although the process is likely to be slow, he said.
While the pandemic is receding in many Western countries, Russia's outbreak is worse than ever, with authorities saying the latest surge of the virus has spread at its most rapid pace yet among a population that is only 35-percent fully vaccinated.
On Wednesday morning, Russia set its sixth record in seven days for coronavirus deaths over 24 hours.
By the afternoon, President Vladimir Putin had ordered a nationwide week-long paid holiday starting from October 30 to curb infections, calling on Russians to show "responsibility" and get one of the country's several jabs that have been available for months for free.
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